THE Certificate of Professional Competence examinations are proving to be
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a big problem for owner-drivers, who were certainly not considered by those responsible for drawing up the "grandfather rightsregulations.
The majority of owner-drivers are operating a one-man, onevehicle business with a profit margin that leaves a lot to be desired. To make a living they must work their vehicles for the maximum number of hours every week and can only take days off when they are forced to because of public holidays, etc.
They also spend many nights away from base and never know which night of any week they may be away. If they are working for a sub-contracting haulier or clearing house (as the majority are), the rates they are paid are so bad that they cannot even consider employing a driver at any time.
So how on earth can the majority of owner-drivers be expected to attend any CPC course, whether it entails fulltime, day-release or evening instruction? If they attend a fulltime course they will probably go bankrupt. If they attend a day-course they will run at a loss, and in any case they cannot stand many weeks of that, so all that remains are the evening courses.
These are not even to be considered, because if an owner-driver had been at work for twelve and a half hours, he will be in a far worse state than your -traffic office wonderand will be wasting his time. In any case, he will very often be away. from base on the evening that the course is held.
This was why we recommended to the Foster Committee of Inquiry into Operator's Licensing that the "grandfather rights" should be granted to anyone who held a licence up to the December 31, 1977. Ibis would eliminate these course problems, which will become greater after January 1980.
MIKE WELLS
'Secretary, British Association of Owner-Drivers.